He is not Elvis Presley or Buddy Holly, but is indeed a rock "n" roll legend. Fats Domino has sold over 100 million copies, yet his reclusiveness has kept writers at bay-- until now. Interviewed by Rick Coleman in this first ever biography of the New Orleans singer, Fats Dominos impact on the world around him is finally revealed in Blue Monday.

Elvis Presley's own confessions acknowledged Domino as the leader of the rock 'n' roll movement with such statements like "Let's face it: I can"t sing it like Fats Domino can. I know that."

Historically Rick Coleman includes the backbone of American culture in each chapter. Integral to the understandment and cohesion of how music was accepted during the 1930's and 1940's is reveterbrated consistently in Blue Monday. The quotes that open up each chapter "Teenagers demand music with a beat spur rhythm and blues" and "Supreme Court outlaws segregation" read like headlines in a newspaper.

The history of Fats Domino strides from his family's beginning "His wife Rosemary had a song named after her but was desperate for a simple life. Domino was extravagant in spending though penned a song after his love whom he sorely missed while on the road" to his pleasures "Cars came right after music and food" and lastly to his music "Gayton hailed Antione and invited him to lunch. Still in his jeans the 19-year-old Domino walked into the restaurant with the city's biggest black star. It was a moment he would never forget".

In Blue Monday R&B Scholar Rick Colemen interviews not only Fats Domino but other musical legends; included are Lloyd Price the Clovers Charles Brown and members of Buddy Holly's group the Crickets.'

]]>morrice.blackwell@gmail.com (Jessica Rae Cortez)Book ReviewsMon, 16 Jan 2006 18:00:00 -0600Steve Lacy: Conversations by Jason Weisshttp://jazzreview.com/book-reviews/steve-lacy-conversations-by-jason-weiss.html
http://jazzreview.com/book-reviews/steve-lacy-conversations-by-jason-weiss.html"Another Reason I"ve read a lot about painters and what not is because a lot of the writing about jazz is not good enough," Steve Lacy says in Conv...

"Another Reason I"ve read a lot about painters and what not is because a lot of the writing about jazz is not good enough," Steve Lacy says in Conversations, edited by Jason Weiss. This quote is one of several idealized opinions seen in this collection of thirty plus interviews that the soprano saxophonist gave.

Lacy is known for his playlist of mostly Thelonious Monk tunes, and insisted that he learned from the best. What should be respected more than his ability to establish the soprano saxophone, is Lacys determination to explore new domain. His appreciation for all culture and knowledge is captured in nearly every interview he gave. "All I can say is that everything is an influence...from the rhythm of children's speech to the patterns of the stars."

Lacy was extremely well read and was an avid art fan. He won the "MacArthur" Genius grant; mostly for his recognition and incorporation of such texts as the Tao Te Ching and Samuel Beckett among others to his own music. Fans of Lacy will read his conversations hoping to find headway into his thoughts; instead they will realize they will have found a personalized spiritual text allusions to artists around the world.

On Mojo Priest, Steven Seagal and Thunderbox's second album, there is a steady groove that is consistent throughout. The first song, "Somewhere In Between," contains a Bluesy Doors rhythm and much piano pounding, "I need you to set me free if you can." "Love Doctor" sounds like Jerry Lee Lewis. "Hoochie Koochie Man" is reminiscent of George Thorogood's "Bad to the Bone." There is sexual connotation everywhere you look on this album, including the apparent song titles "Alligator Ass," "Talk To My Ass," "Dust My Broom" and "She Dat Pretty."

All songs are under four minutes long, except for "Slow Boat To China," which despite the name, stands at more than eight minutes long. The last three songs are 30 second tidbits of rambling, "Mama why'd you stay last night, didn't come home ‘til the sun was shinin’ bright."

Buried are the words from his bio on his MySpace page that sum up his musical experience, "I believe one can experience complete realization and liberation through sight and sound. Through music we can become enlightened." Based on Mojo Priest, it sounds like Steven Seagal desires to enlighten the masses with physical hedonism rather than intellect. No problem here as Steven has charmed a generation of women and still is.

Bernard Allison offers everything on Energized, a Ruf Record recorded live at the Musa in Germany in 2005. Allison opens up his disc with an instrumental, but d…

Bernard Allison offers everything on Energized, a Ruf Record recorded live at the Musa in Germany in 2005. Allison opens up his disc with an instrumental, but don't let his lack of words fool you into thinking he has nothing of wit to say. Humorous lyrics are, "I know a woman named trouble, I like what shes doing to me," and "Too many women, taking too much of his time, there must be a better solution. Too many women in Tokyo."

Do not underestimate. Energized is a very intimate CD. Allison wears his heart on his guitar and sings to his girl many confessions. Midway through track 7, "The Way Love Was Meant To Be," the guitar and the drums prod the listener down the sidewalk of love - if only love were that tangible to follow. His musings seem to make us believe, "The love for you I just cant hide" and "You don’t need to worry, you don’t need to cry because I will never say goodbye." Bernard Allison's nasally voice matches the wailing of his guitar.

On the second track, "Girl I aint Walking Out Your Front Door, " Mike Vlahakis rattles the keyboard like a girl throwing her man out. The effect is listening to a girl's voice, in response to Bernard's ultimatum. On "Bad Love," Allison riffs his guitar skills for more than 13 minutes.

Four of the songs on the second album are instrumental. Most notable are the tracks "Step Down," electric noise accompanying "Amazing Grace" and "Talking Guitar," a song that scales a funeral reaction to the former "When the Saints Go Marching In."

]]>morrice.blackwell@gmail.com (Jessica Rae Cortez)Blues - CD ReviewsSat, 22 Jul 2006 13:00:00 -0500Ways Not To Lose by The Wood Brothershttp://jazzreview.com/cd-reviews/various-jazz-styles-cd-reviews/ways-not-to-lose-by-the-wood-brothers.html
http://jazzreview.com/cd-reviews/various-jazz-styles-cd-reviews/ways-not-to-lose-by-the-wood-brothers.htmlHallelujah/well I just woke up from a dream/so far away... On Ways Not to Lose, the debut album by The Wood Brothers, one can't help but find their spirit uplifted…

Hallelujah/well I just woke up from a dream/so far away... On Ways Not to Lose, the debut album by The Wood Brothers, one can't help but find their spirit uplifted, awoken from a dream that says music lacks any power to change. Oliver and Chris Wood, born in Boulder, Colorado, found a unique combination of blues, folk-rock and acoustic spirit that emerged from their traveling. Reuniting, Oliver from Atlanta and Chris from Manhattan, their efforts to collaborate the soul from the South and rock-n-roll from the East landed them in producer John Medeski's hands. Ways Not to Lose debuted on Blue Note Records, March 7, 2006. Consistent in theme, Ways Not to Lose offers the listener tangible ways to live and be happy -- in a much politically divided world, marked by ever-present bitter wars. It is reminiscent of the heightened sense of love behind Bob Marley's lyrics. The words prayer, spirit, truth, triumph, heavenly home, and hallelujah are a fraction of the lyrics present here. "Chocolate on my tongue" evokes simplicity and an appreciation for the finer things in life. Folk-rock "Luckiest Man" is the most radio friendly song on the disc, but is outshined much much later. An eerie come-hither feel is heard in the drums of "Spirit." During the chorus, "If the spirit moves you...please won't you send him to me," the cymbals chime ahead of Oliver’s bluesy guitar and are an incantation at best. It's followed by "Angel Band," akin to those old American Patriotic songs; "Oh come, angel band/ come and around me stand/bear me away on your snow white wings/to my immortal home." "That's What Angels Can Do" defines the term acoustic soul; the disc ends with the repetition of "that's what angels can do.." It rounds the hope seen in The Wood Brothers; it shadows out the folk-telling of Oliver, and insists on the simple soul-searching mantras of the South.

]]>morrice.blackwell@gmail.com (Jessica Rae Cortez)Various Jazz Styles - CD ReviewsTue, 14 Mar 2006 18:00:00 -0600Antones House of the Blues by Antone's House of the Blueshttp://jazzreview.com/cd-reviews/blues-cd-reviews/antones-house-of-the-blues-by-antone-s-house-of-the-blues.html
http://jazzreview.com/cd-reviews/blues-cd-reviews/antones-house-of-the-blues-by-antone-s-house-of-the-blues.html"We weren't a club or promoters, we were blues fanatics." Clifford Antone remarks about his legendary blues club of the same name in the documentary Antone's House of Bl…

"We weren't a club or promoters, we were blues fanatics." Clifford Antone remarks about his legendary blues club of the same name in the documentary Antone's House of Blues. Despite his own efforts in keeping Antone's out of the club category, this film is immersed with musicians who say time and time again that the "club" was a family, filled with friends at any given time.

With the start-up of Antone's in Austin, Texas, the performances grew widespread: Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Hubert Sumlin, Pinetop Perkins, B.B. King, Albert Collins and Stevie Ray Vaughan all made the bill. Antone supported the working musicians and gave many no names a jump-start. From Jimmy Vaughan's little brother who played faster than anyone on stage, not even Stevie Ray Vaughan yet, to boosting Hubert Sumlin's confidence, many of Antone's good deeds remain silenced.

Musicians went as far to play benefits at Antone's to pay rent. Several musicians, Albert Collins notably, didn't even ask for a paycheck. Camaraderie kept the spirit of the club alive and as much of what happened on stage happened back stage.

Antone opened the club to turn people onto the blues. He was a communal man of the music. "That's where we come from. It's the root of our lives; the blues, whether we know it or not." Antone insisted on this mantra even at the lowest point in his life. He spent time in jail on two occasions for distributing marijuana simply to keep Antone's open and running.

With his recent passing on May 23, 2006, Antone's life should be celebrated with unduly praise; much like the spark of creation that led his blues brothers to unite in this documentary.

]]>morrice.blackwell@gmail.com (Jessica Rae Cortez)Blues - CD ReviewsTue, 14 Mar 2006 12:00:00 -0600The Soul Dances by World Beathttp://jazzreview.com/cd-reviews/world-music-cd-reviews/the-soul-dances-by-world-beat.html
http://jazzreview.com/cd-reviews/world-music-cd-reviews/the-soul-dances-by-world-beat.htmlWorld Beat is Charles Williams and Tom Teasley's second record to date. The Soul Dances reverberates each muscle to move and act, to embrace a natural happiness within o…

World Beat is Charles Williams and Tom Teasley's second record to date. The Soul Dances reverberates each muscle to move and act, to embrace a natural happiness within oneself. The majority of the songs on The Soul Dances incorporate African proverbs with spirituals. On Ise Oluwa Kole Baje O (Nigerian translation: God’s work will never be spoiled) Williams' spoken words are spewed proverbs, "Not to know is bad, not to wish to know is worse" and "It's better to travel alone than with a bad companion." "Babethandaza" pounds a haunted mantra inside your ears, one of spiritual conquest, given to us by the percussion of Tom Teasley. The hand claps on "I Know I've Been Changed" are evangelical-warming and should have opened up World Beat. Instead Williams and Teasley chose to evoke the African God of fire in "Shango" with several background vocals, a djembe, and a conche shell. "Silence is also Speech" Williams says on "Balafon"; seconds later shakers are rattling, creating quite the dichotomy between the wisdom inherent in music. Harriett Tubman repeats and reharvests "Harriett to run, Harriett run" and enlists the African people to dance in unison. These "dancing souls" are in reverence. The hand claps on "I Know I've Been Changed" are evangelical-warming and should have opened up World Beat. Instead Williams and Teasley chose to evoke the African God of fire in "Shango" with several background vocals, a djembe, and a conche shell. "Silence is also Speech" Williams says on "Balafon"; seconds later shakers are rattling, creating quite the dichotomy between the wisdom inherent in music. Harriett Tubman repeats and reharvests "Harriett to run, Harriett run" and enlists the African people to dance in unison. These "dancing souls" are in reverence.

Jay McShann's Hootie Blues contains mostly fast playing piano -- more 'Hootie Jazz' than anything. "Yes Sir That's My baby" is instrumental but McShann makes available to the listener the penned title, hence, giving the vocals to whomever is captivated. Later, McShann does the same thing in "Deed I Do"; this is how he pulls in his audience, and he does it with such be-bop swift. McShann speaks the most in "When the Lights Go Out": "Love to watch you when you walk that walk/love to hear you when you talk that talk/you know exactly what I'm talking about/when the lights go out." He has every reason to swoon those females, and does so eloquently in "My Chile" as well. One can see McShann strolling along in Chile, shouting "Baby, Hi. Don’t you hear me calling you?" McShann slows down the pace of his record with "I'll Catch the Sun and I'll Never Give It Back" and one can imagine he is still trying to win that Grammy in which he was nominated for "Goin' to Kansas City." It is a true blues hoot, more so than any of the other be-bop songs on the album. It makes for a fitting break.

]]>morrice.blackwell@gmail.com (Jessica Rae Cortez)Traditional / New Orleans - CD ReviewsTue, 14 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0600Jasmine by Wajdi Cherifhttp://jazzreview.com/cd-reviews/progressive-cd-reviews/jasmine-by-wajdi-cherif.html
http://jazzreview.com/cd-reviews/progressive-cd-reviews/jasmine-by-wajdi-cherif.htmlWadji Cherif's Jasmine lacks any thrill of past heritages. He opens a new terrain, one that is mostly new jazz compared to his first Arabic-tinted album. Instead of stickin…

Wadji Cherif's Jasmine lacks any thrill of past heritages. He opens a new terrain, one that is mostly new jazz compared to his first Arabic-tinted album. Instead of sticking to what he knows best, he mixes genres and comes out with a new drudged sound. Each instrument on the album is dragged out to it's core; one cannot feel where he came from, nor can anyone appreciate his decision to go more mainstream jazz. Each sing is refarded as delirious comfort and no wonder it's intention was to grab the sleeper to see through the monochrome feel. Comfort works and serves a purpose. I am not sure if this purpose entailed such a slow response from the listener. "Geranium Blues" is the first track to perk up the ears, yet it comes at the half-way point. "Marseille" offers beautiful piano; it works well with he treacherous pace of this abum, but again, should have come way before any of his other material. "Falasies" is a misnomer; it can fool many into reading 'falacies', in which case, rings truer to the song. "Jasmine" contains the most arabic sounds on the album, with harmonic flutes gracing over sporadic piano and a confused guitar.

For J.G is the Kenichi Tsunoda Big Band. Its name humbly sits in the corridors from those in the past, "for Jazz Giants" and gives a blasting ode to Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Frank Foster and Richard Rodgers. Japan's most famous Big Band has a terrifyingly HUGE sound, and is gigantic in retrospect. Their album title may suggest they are playing for the mere sound of themselves. "My Favorite Things" by Richard Rodgers (Sound of Music fame) comes too early in the album, but shows the band's steady distinct power, even in the midst of a slow paced song. Every sound is heightened here, no wonder many are still waiting for a Jazz giant soloist to make headway in the United States. The epitome of their sound comes in the climax of "for J.G." in the song of the same name. It is romantic, then enticing, then bolsters power with the horn section, all in an immense nearly ten minute song. "Night Train" gathers those inclined to swing and packs them in a ballroom, throwing each at a unique pace, to the five solos on the track. For J.G. is not only a tribute album. It should open some eyes to who are the future leaders of the Big Band sound.